Social Implications of the Big City
Expanding on my previous post, I think that as a result of our isolation from other commuters, there seems to be a sense of (albeit sometimes unrequited) social curiosity from some about others.
I see examples of this every day on my usual walk into the City. People of both sexes who are walking in the other direction always tend to look at you when they think you're not paying attention. If you glance toward them and eye-contact is made, they look the other way and pretend this exercise never took place. Complete deniability comes into effect, and if they're aware you're looking back at them, they refuse to look in your direction again.
I wait for a lift out of the City, as I live a fair way away from my place of work, and stand on the street corner watching life pass me by. Those who walk past me can't help but steal a glimpse of the chap standing on the street corner, and must be asking themselves a multitude of questions. I wonder if they think I'm going to ask them for money for a cup of tea, or try to sell them the Big Issue? I don't have a beard, I'm (fairly) smartly dressed and the only crime I'm committing is (for the purposes of experimentation) watching them as they're coming down the street.
I understand that it's natural to look around as you're walking sometimes, especially if you don't have your portable music player of choice.
The question that baffles me though, is why do people walk along looking at their shoes until they see a car crash, or a person standing on a street corner, or something equally mystifying (apparantly) before looking up? Also, instead of cracking a slightly awkward smile or some other (usually forced) gesture of social contact, they'd rather just look insulted that you had the nerve to make eye-contact with them, and return to staring at their shoes.
Unless you're one of these people, and you're aware you're doing it, I don't think I'm going to find an answer to that question.
NB: As a sidenote, yes I'm aware I use brackets a lot. I keep thinking of things to add that I don't want to interrupt the flow of my diatribe.
I see examples of this every day on my usual walk into the City. People of both sexes who are walking in the other direction always tend to look at you when they think you're not paying attention. If you glance toward them and eye-contact is made, they look the other way and pretend this exercise never took place. Complete deniability comes into effect, and if they're aware you're looking back at them, they refuse to look in your direction again.
I wait for a lift out of the City, as I live a fair way away from my place of work, and stand on the street corner watching life pass me by. Those who walk past me can't help but steal a glimpse of the chap standing on the street corner, and must be asking themselves a multitude of questions. I wonder if they think I'm going to ask them for money for a cup of tea, or try to sell them the Big Issue? I don't have a beard, I'm (fairly) smartly dressed and the only crime I'm committing is (for the purposes of experimentation) watching them as they're coming down the street.
I understand that it's natural to look around as you're walking sometimes, especially if you don't have your portable music player of choice.
The question that baffles me though, is why do people walk along looking at their shoes until they see a car crash, or a person standing on a street corner, or something equally mystifying (apparantly) before looking up? Also, instead of cracking a slightly awkward smile or some other (usually forced) gesture of social contact, they'd rather just look insulted that you had the nerve to make eye-contact with them, and return to staring at their shoes.
Unless you're one of these people, and you're aware you're doing it, I don't think I'm going to find an answer to that question.
NB: As a sidenote, yes I'm aware I use brackets a lot. I keep thinking of things to add that I don't want to interrupt the flow of my diatribe.
posted by Karl at
8:36 am
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